Are you a fan of beer and heavy metal? Like drinking ryes with your riffs? Bocks with your black metal? Marzens with your Maiden? Double IPAs with your doom?

Beer and metal have been inseparable ever since the first heavy riffs were forged by the gods (read: Tony Iommi) eons ago. And given the close relationship between the two, devoting a blog to both just makes sense.

I recently became a contributor to IRON HOPS, which is exactly that blog. The blog is about a month and a half old, and I was brought to the team this past week. We explore the depths of heavy metal and extreme music and the nuances of the craft beer world.

Bands who would like to submit stuff for reviews: You can email me directly at john@ironhops.com or use our contacts page to get in touch with someone. I know C. Rex and Spencer are cool with receiving unsolicited review requests, dunno about the others.

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and watch this thread for updates.

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Eel River Brewing Organic PorterAn award winning porter that differentiates itself from other common American porters by being much lighter and easy to drink.Review by Tom

Schmaltz Brewing Jewbelation 15A powerhouse 15% ABV strong ale with roasty, coffee, and chocolate flavors. Originally very harsh with the alcohol, this particular one was cellared for a year before drinking, taking the edge off.Review by Tom

Centurian - Contra RationemOld-school Morbid Angel-inspired death metal from the band that changed their name to Nox in 2003, released the tech death masterpiece Ixaxaar in 2007, and changed their name back to Centurian in 2011. This is kickass stuff.Review by John

Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest Extra HighA Japanese takes on a Belgian Strong Dark that tastes mainly of brown sugar with some oak and vanilla. Fails as a Belgian Strong Dark due to the lack of fruity flavors, but is otherwise a tasty brew.Review by Spencer

Flat 12 Bierwerks Nunmoere Black ABAA very coffee flavored black ale with a combination of caramel and sweet maltiness with a strong but not unpleasant bitterness. Brewery described by the author as "Indiana's best-kept secret."Review by C. Rex

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Nice work on the blog. Metal and beer. Two of my favourite things ever. I'll have to check back regularly.

clark5901 wrote:

Thanks for the nice information in the post...

And thank you both for checking us out! If you haven't, you should like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter to get updates to the blog as soon as they happen.

Question for those who view the thread: would you rather I update this thread on a frequent basis with smaller posts (as I did in the beginning), or do less frequent larger posts (like this one and the one before it)? Updating more frequently would keep the thread at the top of the forum and increase visibility, but I feel like the larger posts are more likely to attract clicks. Opinions?

Ohio Brewing Company Verich GoldA Kolsch that was not graded due to black flakes floating in the beer. (Those who read the Cellar Rats The Piper IPA review will remember that it was not graded because it was believed to be bad, and this bottle came from the same store.)Review by C. Rex

North Coast Grand CruA 12.9% ABV ale brewed with Agave nectar and aged in bourbon barrels. Unsurprisingly, has a sweet bourbon flavor. Sweetness is lighter in the finish and the alcohol is hidden well.Review by Steve

Hoppin’ Frog D.O.R.I.S. the DestroyerYet another review with no grade (see: Ohio Brewing Company Verich Gold and Cellar Rats The Piper IPA reviews). This one in particular tastes like soy sauce, and is believed to have suffered from autolysis due to sitting in a storeroom for too long.Review by C. Rex

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Bell's Black NoteC.'s own stab at a bourbon barrel beer. Coffee flavors give way to a bourbon-y mid-mouth and an alcoholic finish, with a surprising chocolate aftertaste. Potentially a good candidate for aging.Review by C. Rex

Goose Island Bourbon County StoutThe final part of Spencer's bourbon barrel series. A complex yet balanced blend of roasted malt, chocolate, burnt coffee, and strong bourbon flavors that lives up to its legendary status, even in the face of being bought by AB InBev.Review by Spencer

The inaugural Indie Label Spotlight features Witch Hunter Records, a label from Nottingham "concentrating on limited runs of good looking releases, with an emphasis on d.i.y values and pay what you want downloads, catering to fans of hardcore, sludge, doom, stoner, punk and alternative music." They have a good deal of quality releases, and we recommend liking them on Facebook and/or following them on Twitter.

Lastly, a re-run of C. Rex's review of A Cry of Despair by Tree of Sores. It originally ran about a month ago and was reposted due to Tree of Sores being on Witch Hunter Records. We also reposted the interview with Matt Foragher from Tree of Sores, that was posted shortly after the review originally ran.

Supuration - CU3EOddball French death metal with a penchant for weird melodies and dissonant chords mixed with old-school Swedish death metal. Despite its weirdness, it's extremely catchy.Review by John

BEER REVIEWS

Russian River RedemptionAn easy-to-drink Belgian single blonde ale with a yeasty tang and just a bit of bitterness in the finish.Review by Tom

Moylan's Kilt LifterOne of the most widely-distributed Scotch Ales/Wee Heavies on the market, this award-winning beer tastes very clean with some smokey notes and a bit of alcohol burn. Despite its reputation, it doesn't really "wow" the drinker.Review by Tom

Batillus - Concrete SustainThe sophomore album from these NYC doom peddlers is even doomier, more industrial, and full of incredible melodies.Review by C. Rex

The Great Old Ones - Al AzifDark, moody, atmospheric Lovecraftian post-black metal that is another fantastic entry to the French scene.Guest review by Cory Willard

Lycosa - LycoseFive-song EP from a mainly hardcore band that occasionally tries to cover too much ground stylistically.Review by C. Rex

Jess and the Ancient Ones - Astral SabbatTwo new songs and a cover from the Finnish occult rock act, one of which is a 15-minute monster that is among the best material the band has done to date.Review by John

BEER REVIEWS

Bell's HopslamA round-table review of the highly-regarded seasonal DIPA. Piney and fruity, and sweeter in general (though still bitter) than last year's batch.Review by C. Rex, Spencer, and Tom

Iron Hops is proud to welcome Cory Willard as a permanent addition to the writing crew! He will be focusing mainly on black metal releases and will contribute an occasional beer review as well.

ALBUM REVIEWS

Light Bearer - Silver TongueExtremely ambitious and aggressively anti-theist proggy post-metal that may very well be C. Rex's album of the year.Review by C. Rex

Grindcore Karaoke Roundup, Vol. 2C. explores a damn good release from Scum Guilt, a solid one from Total Fucking Destruction, and disappointing ones from Human Trade, Girls Names, and Mutwawa/Seal Team 666.Reviews by C. Rex

Sodb – Don Seantalamh a Chuid FéinIrish black metal with a unique spin on the genre. The bass is unusually high in the mix, which creates some interesting grooves and sounds.Review by Cory

Teith – Humboldt ParkSide project of Pelican's Trevor de Brauw, resembling what a post-metal band founded by Peter Hook might sound like. Electronic and danceable at times, noisy and spacey at others, with melodies driven mainly by the bass.Review by C. Rex

Sannhet - Known FloodInstrumental post-black metal with electronic flourishes, recorded by Colin Marston.Review by C. Rex

Tribulation - The Formulas of DeathA monolithic death metal album that departs heavily from The Horror by adding black metal tinges and complex, progressive song structures.Review by Cory

Crōn - Low And DrowningHis Hero Is Gone-esque hardcore-sludge that is likeable and fresh but often very same-y throughout the album.Review by Brandon

So I have been painfully neglecting to update this thread. Which means I have a crapload of catching up to do.

For this last week of March, we are happy to announce the second installment of our Indie Label Spotlight series. This month's Spotlight will be shone on Captcha Records. Look for updates towards the end of the week!

Three Floyds In The Name of SufferingA coffee-tasting, not-very-bitter, and overall bland black IPA. Carries the Eyehategod name on it, but does not live up to their musical reputation.Review by C. Rex

Magic Hat Pistil Dandelion AleSteve's take on a beer I previously reviewed, which he found to be much more enjoyable than I did. Light and citrusy with a clean finish.Review by Steve

Goose Island Night StalkerAn opaque Imperial stout tasting of coffee and unsweetened chocolate. Surprisingly light for a stout, but still very tasty.Review by C. Rex

That's it for tonight. I'll get to the rest of the neglected posts tomorrow and will update at the end of the week following the Indie Label Spotlight.

Just a reminder that our second Indie Label Spotlight has started today. Read our interview with Captcha Records head Benjamin Funke, where he discusses the history of his eclectic label, why he releases such a diverse array of music, and the challenges of running an indie label. Check back at the end of the week for a recap and reviews from various Captcha Records releases.

Aaaaand back to playing catchup.

ALBUM REVIEWS

Lithotome - LithotomeA crusty, filthy blend of various forms of extreme metal with Imperial from Krieg on vocals. Will please fans of Portal and Dragged Into Sunlight.Review by C. Rex[/url]

Maladie – [i]Plague WithinGerman black metal with prog/experimental tendencies that is able to seamlessly blend furious black metal, crushing doom, and a variety of other influences.Review by C. Rex

KEN mode – EntrenchThe Season of Mist debut from KEN mode is a leap forward for the noisy, chaotic hardcore band, but at times suffers from a lack of focus.Review by Brad

Glitter Wizard - Hunting GatherersA fantastic mix of glam-era David Bowie, the bluesier works of Black Sabbath, a bit of Jethro Tull, and extremely dank weed.Review by C. Rex

Zath - Shit PigBadass thrash metal with proggy song structures that is very traditionalist and authentic-sounding while not being straightforward. Should please fans of Morbid Saint and Celtic Frost; this isn't Municipal Waste re-thrash garbage.Review by John

Anchorage Brewing The Tide and Its TakersA 9% ABV tripel with notes of lemon, white grap, straw, and Brett hops. A very tasty and unique take on the beer, though the brewery has produced better.Review by Spencer

Muskoka Brewery Dark AleA smooth English dark from Ontario with up-front coffee and roast flavors with dark chocolate and cola in the finish. Not the boldest or most flavorful of the style (nor the best from the brewery), but a very pleasant drinker and a respectable offering.Review by Cory

Sadly, due to a variety of reasons mostly involving time constraints, our editor-in-chief C. Rex has decided to shut down Iron Hops. Needless to say, all of us are sad to see it go, and we thank all of the readers, bands, labels, and brewers who helped make this blog special.

Ownership of the domain name will expire in November, so until then the blog will remain up. I have all of my reviews saved on my computer and I will probably upload them here on the Archives at some point, so they will survive in some form after the blog shuts down; I have no idea what the other writers plan to do with their work.

On a lighter note, I recently began writing for Echoes and Dust, so if you still want to submit something to me personally, you can do so by using my Iron Hops email address (which, as far as I know, will remain active) or by PMing me here on Metal Archives. I may start a thread for my work there, but the Echoes and Dust team is much larger and focuses on a much wider variety of music, so I don't know if I'll be posting the work of other writers for the sake of time and relevance.

Once again, thank you everyone for making it a wonderful ride. Keep drinking and keep headbanging \m/